


Discovery

by ultimatehope



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Post-Canon, Protective Thorin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:42:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25555273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ultimatehope/pseuds/ultimatehope
Summary: Pride 2020.Day 6: DiscoveryA backyard discovery causes Bilbo to learn more about Thorin.
Relationships: Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield
Comments: 5
Kudos: 60





	Discovery

“Ah, my hobbit!” Thorin pulled Bilbo into his lap with his arms flying around him. They shared a kiss as he squeezed the life out of the poor halfling, “Breakfast was delicious as always, thank you, my dear!” He offered several more kisses. 

Bilbo laughed and patted the side of his dwarf’s face, “No need to thank me everyday, love, I enjoy cooking…!” He weaseled his way out of Thorin’s arms and leaned over the table to continue collecting dirtied dishes before Thorin stood straight up and pulled Bilbo away from the table.

“No, no. I shall tend to the dishes, why don’t you water your plants? Spend some time enjoying the morning sun and I’ll have this cleaned up with good haste!” Thorin turned Bilbo to face him. He pushed their lips together again, “Go ahead now…”

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re trying to kick me out of my own hobbit hole,” Bilbo blew a raspberry against him. His features were full of delight as he cut through the kitchen and filled his watering can that was perched by the sink. He ducked outside right but not before glancing back at the dwarf who effortlessly carried in all the dishes. A smile swept him up as he flung off his backstep.

He made a mental note to get in touch with his gardener. He hadn’t seen the head of the Gamgee family since they welcomed little Samwise into the world. His gift to him had been a few months’ worth of pay and a well-deserved vacation to get to know the little hobbit, but he felt like he should do something more.

As he sprinkled water through his flowers, fruits, and veggies, his mind began to wander. He thought of what else he could do. Perhaps, write a short story they could read to Samwise when he was older? He scratched that out of his mind for the pure notion that hobbits were more… word of mouth. Reading came last on a long list of things they preferred like making ale, babies, and pipeweed. 

Bilbo snorted at the idea. He leaned down and took in the fresh scents of lilac and his tulips. His next thought involved plucking some of these darling plants, maybe filling a basket with some fresh food too. He dusted by his tomatoes and kept on for his carrots when suddenly, he heard a squeak. 

He perked up and spun back around, hearing it again. What a peculiar sound. It seemed early in the season for the animals to be having their young, didn’t it? He waited to hear what sounded like a weak cry and dropped his watering can, flying towards the bushes. The crying that happened afterwards told him it wasn’t an animal that had made its way into Bag-end. He fell onto his knees and began combing through the bushes. 

Bilbo crawled forward and sought out the source of the crying with his rear sticking out of the greenery.  
Inside, Thorin had finished cleaning up and peered outside to see how Bilbo was doing. The site of the watering can on the ground with his hobbit’s fuzzy feet sticking out of a shrub was enough to get him outside.

“Bilbo? Love, what are you doing?” He heard the crying too. Why, it sounded like a very weak dwarven child. Or perhaps, he was too used to the memories of Kili and Fili wailing loud enough to shake a mountain. 

Thorin walked towards the sound with concern and confusion twisted upon his features. He ended up walking right past the hobbit and to the right, where he found a head full of golden curls that stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the cool colors. 

Bilbo was still crawling around on the ground when Thorin lifted the child. It took him a moment to pluck some twigs and webbing off of him but that’s when Bilbo came out of the bush he was in, “Oh! Thorin, I heard the strangest--” He jumped to his feet when he saw the baby in the dwarf’s arms, “Who is this little hobbit?” His voice pitched.

Thorin had begun rocking the baby mindlessly as he reached out to help Bilbo get himself upright. His eyes were focused on the baby as if he was studying it, waiting for it to make a move … 

“Thorin?” Bilbo cocked his head as he dusted himself off and went to take the hobbit from his lover’s hands. 

“This baby needs to be fed. How long has he been out here?” He looked around before catching Bilbo’s hand and whisking them both off for the house.

“Ohh, Thorin!” Bilbo gasped, “Okay, okay … his parents must be worried sick!” He exclaimed, trying to keep up with the dwarf’s longer strides.

“Who loses a baby?” came Thorin’s gruff response. He released Bilbo’s hand once they were inside and took to the cabinets, as well as the pantry. 

Bilbo was … lost. Not only did the baby look well-fed, plump as any other hobbit, but the burst of anger and urgency that came from Thorin. He stood helplessly until his senses came back to him, “Thorin, we should head into town and find out who lost the little one.” He approached the dwarf who held the baby… almost protectively. 

Thorin’s nose was scrunched up. It twitched at the suggestion, “Misplacing a child of this age? There’s no excuse besides dying trying to protect it.” He whisked a clean bowl out and poured some warm water in it. He was moving so fast that Bilbo found it hard to keep up with what he was doing. Mixing food, smashing food, wiping the baby down with a cloth … he was doing a little bit of everything! It all came…  
So natural. Bilbo found himself staring with his mouth agape. Again. 

It wasn’t until the dwarf was seated and feeding the baby little spoonfuls of soggy mush that Bilbo gathered his senses and took a seat across from him, “I’m sorry, Thorin, but you think the child’s parents are what? Dead? What makes you believe this little one didn’t crawl away?” He paused before swallowing back, “I mean, it’s odd, no doubt, but there’s so many hobbits around, it’s easy to think someone else is watching a little one like this.” 

Thorin’s eyes narrowed. He raised his head from the child to stare at Bilbo as if that was the stupidest thing he had ever heard. His eyebrows pushed together, and he shook his head, “I have many a years on you, Bilbo, and my kin are stronger in numbers than these hobbits. If you showed me a child by my knee then perhaps I could believe them getting out of hand, but you show me this undernourished little thing and expect me to believe--” He exhaled finally and cooed at the child to avoid him sensing his anger.

Bilbo, on the other hand, couldn’t tell what one thing had to do with another! He tilted his head and waited to see if Thorin would elaborate … and he didn’t. The hobbit licked his lips before asking with a softer tone, “What are you… talking about, Thorin? What does your age or numbers have to do with ... “ He felt it rude to say ‘anything’ so left the sentence where it was while at a loss for words.

“Maybe our kin just have different values,” Thorin was focused on feeding the child now, continuing to coo in-between his words to avoid stirring the little hobbit up, “A dwarven child would never get far away. They were always our priority. Sure, Kili and Fili gave their share of scares when they were old enough to toddle, but at this age? Never.” 

Bilbo wasn’t sure whether to take offense or not. Hobbits found their babies important! He couldn’t imagine it was more than a mere mistake that this little one ended up in Bag-end, but he was done trying to make sense of why the dwarf was being so stubborn and nearly obnoxious about this. 

In the same breath, it was interesting to see the gruff dwarf be so protective of the little hobbit, as if he was personally responsible for its safety now. He had always heard the stories about how he was with his nephews when they were young, but he was starting to get an idea of what it looked like too.


End file.
